Machine for finishing the edges of sheet material



Sept. 14 1-926 1,599,518 J. FOSSA, v MACHINE FOR musnme THE EDGES 0F susar misnnn' Filed April is, 1924 ssheets-shet 1 I Sept; 14 1926.

J. FOSSA MACHINE FOR rnusnme THE EDGES-OF sum-MATERIAL Filed April 15, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 14 1926. 1,599,518

J. FOSSA MACHINE FOR FINISHING THE EDGES 0F SHEET MATERIAL Filed April 15. 1924 5 sneets sne't 5 I Patented Sept. 14, 1926.

nears are?" PATENT orricsq JQSEZPIEI FOSSA, OF DANVEBS, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TU UNITED SHOE MACE-111W CDRPOR-ATKON, OF PATERSON, JERSEY; A GQRPORATIGN OF NEW" MACHINE roe rrnrsnrne THE nnens or SHEET MATERIAL.

Application med April 15, 1224. Serial No. 706,776.

This invention relates to machines for finishing the edges of pieces of sheet material and is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine designed. particularly for use in finishing the. edges of pieces of leather preparatory to their incorporationin boots and shoes, a machine of this'general type being shown in Patent No. 1,4c64l, 504:, granted august 14. 1928, on an application filed my name.

In that machine the leather is fed grain side downward beneath a hot shrinking or searing toolwhereby the. unshrunken grain side curls toward the flesh side. A plow extends under the extreme margin and holds the flesh side of the margin up againstthe under side of the shrinking tool, there being a small space between the tool and the plow to facilitate the formation of an upstanding fin. Located in the rear of the tool, considered in the direction of feed movement of the work, isa hammer which strikes the upstanding fin and bends it over upon the body portion of the leather piece, said piece being fed through the machine by a feed-foot which engl the leather piece the side of the shrinking tool opposite that on which the plow is located. The work is thus fed past the shrinking tool and the plow by a feed foot which engages the work at a considerable distance from the edge thereof.

Machines of this type in the use of which a piece of more or less flimsy sheet material is engaged at a locality spaced from the edge thereof and fed forward, with its extreme margin and edge held back more or less by the dragging action of the shrinking tool and the plow, while satisfactory on many kinds of material, have a tendency under some circumstances and with some kinds of material to produce wrinkles.

According to one feature of the present invention, means are provided for preventsuch wrinkling. in the illustrative machine, the hammer, at the end of each hammering stroke and while it still grips the work, is given a movement in a direction to feed the work. This hammer, which is located directly behind the V plow and the shrinking tool, thus seizes the work intermittently at its extreme edge and pulls the work past the tool and plow, the feed movement of the hammer being substantially syn chronous with the feed movement of the feed--foot. The portion of the work which i gf i I Figurel 1s an end V ew principally inelev= tion of the mechanism for ean is being fed past the tool and the plow is thus held taut so that no wrinkling can c il i In the patented machine, the shrinking tool and a presser wheel are rigidly mounted upon the free end of a pivotedarm, the arm be ng y elding-1y urged at all times by a spring to rockaboutiits pivot in a direction to cause the presser wheel and tool to move toward the work support, theconstruction i work independently of the tool, so that the 7? pressure of the wheel on the work may. be varied without varying the pressure of the tool.

1 According, therefore, to another feature of the invention, the presser wheel is yielding-1y mounted upon the arm, and means are pro I vided forlocking the arm in adjusted position. I v

In machines of this general type it is de-, sirable to provide mechanism for'registering the linear extent of the work passed through the machine. According to another feature of the invention, such a mechanism is operated from the presser wheel so that. only when the wheel is turningthat is, only whenwork is passing through the machine-- 1s the registering .mechamsm operated.

Referring now to theaccompanymg drawvention is embodied. Figure 2 is a detail principally in eleva-' driving the indivation of a machine in which the present incator. i I I Figure 3 is a perspective showing more particularly the work-engaging parts. Y

Figure .4 is an endelevation showing more particularly part of the feed mechanism.

Fi re 5' is a detail in perspective ofthe fee me han sm Figure Sis a perspective showing the connections from the drive shaft to the feed me hani mi I Figure '7 isa detail in perspective show.-

ingthe mechanism for driving the hammer.

Figure 8 is a perspective of the mounting of the presser wheel. 7

Figures 9 and 10 are perspectives of the mechanism for locking the arm in lowered position.

Figure 11 is a sectional view showing a piece of work inprocess of being operated upon; and

v Figure 12 is a sectional view of a finished piece of work.

The general mode of operation of the machine is like that "01 the machine shown in Patent No. 1,464,501, which has been, referred to above. The work 100, the edge of which hasprererably been skived on an abru t angle is fed intermittently )ast a slow 13 (see Fig. 11) and beneath a hot searing or shrinking tool 15 by a feed'i o'ot 17 and cooperating anvil 18, the work being pressed down at all times upon the table or work support 19 by an idle presser wheel 21. The margin on the upper side of the'work is shrunk by the action of the hot tool 15 so as to cause the unshrunken side to curl toward the shrunken side; and during; this action a thin fin 200 is forced up into the space between the'tool 15 and t-heplow 18. In order to bend this tin over toward or upon the shrunken side of the work. a hammer 23 (not shown in Fig. 11 since it lies behind the plow) is provided. This hammer strikes the upstanding fin at an angle in such manner as to bend it inwardly of the body portion of the work and to lay it in the position indicated in Figure 12. As thus far described, the construction and mode of operation 01 the present machine is or may be substantially the same as that of the patented machine. y

In the patented machine, the only function of the hammer is to strike a blow upon the edge of the work in the manner referred to above, the feeding of the'work being accomplished entirely by the feed foot 17 and anvil 18. This teed toot, however, engages the work at adistance from the edge thereof, and when the work is fed in this manner, thereis a tendency to producewrinkles in the work by reason ofthe fact that the edge and extreme margin of the work are dragged past the plow and shrinking tool.

In order to-counteraet this tendency, the hammer of the present machine is also a feed member; and, after having descended upon the edge of the work to bend over the fin 200, moves with the feed-foot to feed the work. During each intermittent teed movement, therefore,the work is engaged at two localities. The hammer engages the extreme edge of the work behind the shrinking tool and the feed-toot engages'a localityspaced from the edge at one'side of the tool. With the work thus held at these two localities during the feed movements, wrinkling of the work is prevented. The teed-toot is caused to descend upon the work just before the hammer descends; and acts thereafter in unison with the hammer to feed the work. It also acts firstto engage the leading end of a piece of work presented to the machine and advance the work to the hammer, and second to hold the work firmly while the hammer descends to bend the tin over upon the body portion the work.

.i-.eferring first to Figures 8 and 1, in which thev arrows indicate the direction of feed movement, and to Figures 11 and 12, the mode of operation of the machine will be briefly lescribed. Assuming that the work is a piece of leather, it will be presented, grain side down, with its edge against the plow 1S and its margin beneaththe hot tool. 15 in position to have its leading end engaged by the feed-foot 17. The teed-tootand its cooperating anvil 18 act as the only feeding; means until the leading end of the work comes into the range of the hammer. Thereafter the machineoperates in the following manner. The feed-foot descends to press the work firmly against the anvil 18. Immediately thereafter and while the work thus held against being pushed to one side of the line of feed, the hammer descends to bend the tin 200 over and also to press the edge of the work against the anvil. The three membors-hammsr, ieeddioot and an vilthen move in unison to feed the work. Atthe end of the feed movement the hammer and feed-toot rise and return to initial position to repeat the cycle. It should be particularly noted first that the work is securely held while the hammer is bending the fin downwardly and second that during the feed movement the work is engaged at two localities in such manner that it cannot be wrinkled.

'llet inn now more particularly to Figcri. nres 5, 6 and T, the anvil 18, with which both the teed-toot 1.7 and the hammer or presser 23 cooperate, is carried at the free end of an arm the hub of which is loosely mounted upon a rod 27. The teed-toot 17 is carried at the free end of an arm 29, the hub of which is also loosely mounted on the rod 2'7. a set screw 31 to a lag on a short sleeve which isrotatable upon but held from longitudinal movement with respect to a hollow rod 37, said rod being slidable in alined bearings 39'and being pivoted atone end at 11 to one end of a connecting rod d3, the otherend of which is rotatably carried by the rod 27. The rod 27 is fastened by set screws 14 in alined sockets at the ends of the arms of a forked member 15, the

hub of said member being rotatably mounted The hammer 23 is fastened by Figure 6) of two parallellinks51, the

near ends-of the links beingpivoted about a rod 53. Pivoted on this same rod 53 is one end of a link 55 the other end of whic' ii is pivoted about a rod 57 held fast by a set screw in a bore ma lug 59 which is integral with a yoke 61. This yoke is pivoted about a fixed rod 63 and straddles an eccen-- tric 65 on the driving shaft The two parallel links 51 on the one hand and the link 55 on the other form the arms of a toggle, the'knuckl'e of which is the axis of the rod 53. Pivoted to this rod and extending upwardly are two arms 69 which are integral at their upper ends with sleeve 71 through which passes loosely a rod F8. One end of this rod is carried by the upper end of a bent lever 5 pivoted to the frame of the machine at 7 7 and having pivoted to itslower end a rod'l'tl adapted to be pushed by a treadle rod (Figure 1). A spring 82 holds the parts normally in the position shown. In this position in which the rod 73 is directly above the knuckle 58'of the toggle the maximum amount of rocking movement will be imparted to the forked member 45, and consequently the maximun'z amount of reciprocating feed movement will be imparted to the feed foot 17, hammer 23 and anvil 18. In this case, the arc in which the knuckle 53 swings is approximately horizontal. \Vhen, however, the treadle rod 80 is pushed upwardly the arc in which the knuckle 5-3 swings is inclined, and corn sequently less of the swinging movenient of the knuckle 53 is imparted to the forked. m-en'iber 4E5, and the feed movement of the parts 17, 18 and 28 is less.

In the operation of the machine, as has been described above, the feed-foot 1T de scends to hold the work the anvi 18, then the hammer 28 descends, andthen the three members move in unison to feed the work Thereafter the hammer and feed foot rise to release the work, and all three members return to initial position. The anvil 18is supported upon a roller 81 and moves in a straight psth,while the feedfoot and the hammer move in substantially rectangular paths.

Referring first tothe. feerhfoot' 17, the

mechanism for raising and loweri it at the proper times comprises a small rod 83 having semispherical ends. The upper end of the rod is received in a suitable socket formed in the under side of the armBS whichearries the feed-foot l7, and the lower end of the rod is received in a similar socket in .theupper part of a yoke 85 which straddles an eccentric 87 on the driving shaft 67, this yoke being carried by a stem the hub of which is loosely mounted on a fixed rod 86. A tension spring .88 is fasten-ed at its upper end to the arm 29 and at its lower end to the yoke 85' so as to holdthe ends of the rod 83 respectively in contact with the arm 29 and the yoke.

The hammer 23,- as has been explained, is fast to a sleeve 35, which is rockabl-e on but held from longitudinal movement with respect to the slidable hollow rod 37. order to oscillate the hammer at the proper times to cause it to grip and to release the work, a pin 89 (Figure/(")rigid with the i o5, rotatably held in the upper end skeleton connecting rod 93, while a I CI se *ond pin 95, carried by a yoke '97, is sinii lerly held in the lower end of said rod. This oke straddles an eccentric 99 on the dr'iv ing sha'fttSZ, and, like the yoke 85, is pivoted on the rod 86.

T he shrinking or searing tool 15, like that of the patented machine,'ifs' approximately U-shaped, its upstanding legs being held by screws 101 in downwardly bent copper rods 103 which pass through a fibre bushing 105 (see Figure 1) adjustably mounted in a hollow arm 10'? in such manner as to be longitudinally and angula'rly adjustable, the copper rods being-soldered to insulated conductors 109, said conductors being in turn attached to wires which lead to an adjust able transformer (not shown) by manipu- ,so' that the shrinking tool will ride lightly upon the work. Referring now more pari'icularly to Figures 9 and 10, the arm 107 of the present machine is pivoted at one end at 111 to the frame 112 of the machine; but, instead of being yieldingly held in its loweredoperative position, it is swung downwardly until the lower end of a stop screw 113' (see Figure 3) contacts with the table and isthen locked in this position, said stop crew being threaded through a lug formed at the outer end of the" arm. nhanism coinprisesa cam 115 carried at one end of a stub shaft (nominee) which rotatable in a lug 117 formed on the arm, has fastened to its other ends handle 119 by which th'e'cam may be turned In neutering operative position, the cam in such case being also in inoperative position. When now the arm is swung down into the position shown in Figure 10, the cam may be rotated to force its tapered end into tl e space between the left-hand face of the lug 117 and the substantially parallel face 120 of a lug formed on the frame. In the operation of the machine, the stop-screw 113 is adjusted so as to bring the shrinking tool 15 to the desired height above the table, said height being determined by the thickness of the work weir-h is to be operated upon; and then the handle 119 is turned into the position shown in Figure 10 to lock the arm 10? in position. As in the patented 1nachine, a latch 121 pivoted at 123 to the arm has a shoulder adapted to engage a stationary pin 127 to hold the arm 1O". in raised position after the arm has been raised by the operator in order to replace or adjust the shrinking tool.

in order to permit the presser wheel 21 to yield when thicker localities in the work are encountered, well to regulate the pressure with which it engages the work, this wheel is mounted on a pivot 129 (Figures 1 and carried by the casing 131 of a registering mechanism presently to be described, said casing being yieldingly urged at all times in a clockwise direction about the axis of a rod 133. This rod is loosely mounted inv alined bearings formed in the overhanging arm 10? and has at its outer end a cylindrical head 135. The head is provided at its outer end with an inclined guideway (not shown) in which is mounted a slide 137,- the slide being integral with and forming a supportfor the casing 131 of the register ing mechanism. The slide 137 is slotted as shown to receive a screw 139 which is threaded into the head and holds the indicator fasing, and with it the presser-wheel 21, in adjusted position with respect to said head. An adjusting screw 1 10 (Figures 2 and 8) extends through a right-angled extension of the slide 137, being held from longitudinal movement with respect to said extension, and is threaded into the head 135. After the holding screw 39 has been loosened, the screw 1 10 may be turned to adjust the presser wheel in the line of feed of the work.

in order to hold the presser wheel yieldingly down upon the work, the rod has fast to it two arms H1, 143 (Figure 8). A tension spring 1415 is fastened at its lower end to the arm 1 11 and at its upper end to a pull-rod 145 which is held in a guideway in a member 1&9 by a leaf spring 151, the pull-rod 1 1? having downwardlypointed teeth as shown so that it will remain in any position to which itis drawn up. A sec ondpull-rod 153 in every way similar to the pull-rod 1.47, and similarly connected by a spring 155, provides additional means for urging the rod 133 in the direction indied by the arrow in Figure 8. By pullup on one or both of these rods, the ded tension may be produced to cause the wheel 21 to bear with the desired force upon the work. Two springs the tension of which may be varied independently are provided instead of a single spring be cause with only a single spring it has been nd in'ipractical to obtain as wide a range nsion as is desirable.

The present machine is provided with "cl anism for registering the linear extent the work passed through the machine. me details of this mechanism, comprising the usual nun'ibering wheels 157, which are ted to be turned in proper sequence when the shaft- 153 is rocked, form no part of the present invention and will not be deribed. in order to cause the shaft 158 to be rocked when work is passing through the machine, a short arm 159 clamped at one end to the shaft is pivoted at its other end. to one end of a coi'inecting rod 161, the other end of which is pivoted on a crank-pin 163 carried by 165, said gear meshing with a smaller gear 167 which is rigid and turns with the presser wheel 21. Whenever, therefore, piece of work 100 is passing tl'irou 'h the machine and the presser wheel heir; turned, the linear extent of the work is being registered.

Although the invention has been set forth as embodied in a particular machine, it siould be understood that the invention is not limited in the scope of its application to the particular machine which has been shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of work having, in combination, a support for the work, a shrinking tool arranged to operate upon the margin thereof, and means for gripping the work at two localities spaced apart in the direction of feed movement of the work, one at the extreme edge of the work nd one spaced from said edge, and feeding the work while so gripped past the tool.

2. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of work having, in combination, a support for the work, a shrinking tool adapted to operate upon the margin thereof, a combined hammer and feed member, a feedfoot and means for operating said combined member and said foot to feed the work past the tool and to increase the curl imparted to the edge of the work by the action of the tool.

3. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of work having, in combination, a support forthe work, a shrinking tool adapted to operate upon the margin thereof, a coin,-

bined han'nner and .feed member located in therear of the tool considered in the direc tion of feed movement of the work, a feedfoot located at one side of the tool and arranged to engage the work at a locality in advance of that engaged by the combined member, and means for operating said foot and said combined member. s

A. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of work having,in combination, a sup port for the work, a shrinking tool arranged to operate upon the margin thereof, two feed membersone located behind the tool and adapted to engage the edge of the work and the other located at one side of the tool and adapted to engage the work at a locality spaced from the edge,and means for causing said members to operate intermittently substantially in unison to feed the work past the tool.

5. A machine for finishin the edge of a piece of work having, in coniloination, a support for the work, a shrinking tool arranged to operate upon the margin thereof, two feed members one located behind the tool and adapted to engage the edge of the work and the other located at one side of the tool and adapted to engage the work at a locality spaced from the edge, and means for causing said members to operate intermittently substantially in unison to feed the work past the tool, the first-named member serving also to hammer the edge of the work.

6. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of work having, in combination, a support for the work including an anvil, a shrinking tool adapted to operate upon the margin of the work, a hammer arranged to cooperate with the anvil, a feed-foot also arranged to cooperate with the anvil, means for moving the anvil back and forth in the line of feed movement of the work, and means for causing the hammer and the feedfoot to press the work against the anvil and to move with the anvil in'a direction to feed the work past the shrinking tool.

7. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of work having, in combination, a support for the work, a heated shrinking tool, a plow located at one side of the tool for bending the margin of the work and holding it against the tool, a feed-foot located on the opposite side of the tool from that occupied by the plow, a combined hammer and feed member located in the rear of the tool considered in the direction of feed movement o1 the work, and means for operating the feed foot and thecombined member.

8. A machine for finishing the edge of a with respect to the direction of feed move ment of the work, a combined hammer and teedinembei; located in theflrearor" the tool, means tor intermittently causing the feedfoot to press the work againstthe support,

being such that the feed-foot descends upon the work prior to the descent of the hammer.

' 9. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of work having, in combination, a support for the work, means for shrinking the margin of the work on one side tocause the edge to curl,a hammer, and means for causing the hammer first to descend upon-the edge to increase the curl thereofand then to move in a direction to feed the work.

10. A machine for finishing the edgeof a piece of work having, in combination, a sup port for the work, means for shrinking the margin of the work on one sideto cause the edge to curl, a combined member for hammering the edge and for feeding the work, and means for operating said member.

11. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece'of work having, in combination, a support for the work including an anvil, means for shrinking the margin of the work on one side and thereby causing the unshrunken side to curl towardthe shrunken side, a hammer arranged to cooperate with the anvil, and means for first causing relative movement of approach between the hammer and the anvil to grip the edge of the work in such manner as to increase the curl thereof and then movement in unison in a direction to feed the work past the shrinking means.

12. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of work having, in combination, a support for the work including an anvil, a heated tool adapted to shrink one side of the margin of the work and thereby cause the unshrunken side to curl toward the shrunken side, a hammer arranged to cooperate with the anvil, and means for first causing relative movement of approach between the hammer and the anvil to grip the edge of the work in such manner as to increase the curl thereof, and then movement in unison in a direction to feed the work past the heated tool.

18. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of work having,.in combination, a support for the work, a pivoted arm overhanging the support, a shrinking tool mounted in the free end of the arm, an adjustable stop to limit-the approach of said. free end toward the support, and means for locking said arm in adjusted position.

14. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of work having, in combination, a

support'for. the work, a pivoted arm overhanging the support, a shrinking tool mounted in the free end of the arm, an adi justable stop to limitthe approach of said free end toward the support, means for locking said arm in adjusted position, a presser wheel mount-ed on the arm, and yielding means for urging said wheel toward said support.

15. A mz'ichine for finishing the edge of a piece of work having, in combination, a sup port for the work, a shrinking tool for operating upon the margin 01 the work, means for feeding the work over the support in contact with the tool, a presser wheel adapted to engage the woriz', mechanism for registering the linear extent of the work fed through the machine and means for operating said mechanism from said wheel.

16. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of work having, in combination, a

support for the work, a shrinking tool for operating upon the margin of the work, means for feeding the work over the support in contact with the tool, a presser wheel, a casing in which the wheel is rotat ably mounted, mechanism located in the casing for registering the linear extent of work passed through the machine, and means for causing rotation of said wheel to operate said mechanism.

17. A machine for finishing the edge of a piece of work having, in combination, a support for the work, a shrinking tool for operating upon the margin of the work, means for feeding the work over the support in contact with the tool, a presser wheel, a casing in which the wheel is rotatably mount ed, yielding means for urging the casing in a direction to cause the presser wheel to engage the work, mechanism located in the casing for registering the linear extent of work passed through the machine, and means for causing rotation of said wheel to operate said mechanism.

In testimony whereof I name to this specification.

JOSEPH FOSSA.

have signed my 

